Abstracts

RATIONALE: To describe the distribution of the spikes in patients with Benign Rolandic Epilepsy (BRE) and to try to distinguish differences in seizure manifestation such as described by Legarda et al. (Epilepsia 1994, 35:1125-1129).
METHODS: We have studied 28 patients (18 males, 10 females) with BRE aged 7-15 yrs. Awake and sleep EEG recordings were performed using closely spaced electrodes (10-10 system) over the perisylvian area. The maximum electronegative region was analyzed by reference montages. Feet, hand percussion and protrusion of the tongue were performed.
RESULTS: Maximum electronegativity was observed in the following regions: low central (C5/C6) in 18 patients (64.3%); high central (C3/C4) in 7 (25%); temporal (T3/T4) in 2 (7.1%); and finally in centro-parietal in one (3.6%). Seizure manifestation in low central group consisted of oromotor symptoms in 83.3% (15/18) and generalized tonic clonic seizures (GTCS) in 16.7% (3/18) of patients. Hand involvement or hemiconvulsion occurred in 42.9% (3/7), GTCS in 28.6% (2/7) and oromotor symptoms in 85.7% (6/7) of patients in high central group. The two patients with temporal spike predominance presented hand (1/2) and oromotor (1/2) involvement; finally one patient with centroparietal discharge accentuation had GTCS. Protrusion of the tongue suppressed the discharges in 6 patients; feet and hand percussion did not evoked spikes in any patient.
CONCLUSIONS: The subgroups described by Legarda et al. (1994) in Benign Rolandic Epilepsy can be identified and have some clinical correlation. Although oromotor symptoms occurred in both low (C5/C6) and high central (C3/C4) subgroups, hand involvement was more observed in the latter.